Tuesday, June 16

Summer Reading

I am a fool for reading anything and everything, so with summer here and no classes - I can read anything I want. I'll try and update you on my summer books and hopefully accurately review and recommend some good books for you.

Book Review #1

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. It is a love story about a man, Henry, who can time travel and how he travels back in time to spend time with his wife, Clare, when she is a little girl. His time travel is sporadic and uncontrollable, so it keeps things interesting. The story follows the two characters as they grow and mature - more than just physically. When Henry is in his mid 30's or so, he visits Clare several times from a little girl to a teenager. Clare finally meets Henry in real time when they are both in their 20's. It sounds confusing, I know... but it does come together and make some sense.

Just as Henry has to deal with the fact that his wife is literally 6 years old half the time, Clare has to deal with Henry learning to be a responsible and steadfast husband as he transitions into the man she met as a girl. In his early years, Henry is wild and unpredictable. Meeting Clare and having her as a permanent fixture in her life stables him. Throughout their life together, they have many happy times, yet they also go through heartache, loss and loneliness like any other normal couple. What makes this story exciting is the added confusion of Henry's random time travel.

You can seriously ask my mom - I was hooked on this book after chapter 1. It was all I could think about. I could not put it down. From the beginning I kept wondering, "Why the heck isn't this a movie??" The story idea and the way it was executed is so clever. It was well written and the characters were well developed. It was cool to have time as a factor which allowed more of a span for character development. Towards the end, though, I kind of got a little bored. I think the circumstances in which it ends is kind of melodramatic and I could have thought of a better ending... but all in all... it was a really good book!

So then I find out: THEY'RE MAKING IT INTO A MOVIE!!! Yeah. I know. I love when that happens. And the people they have cast, I've decided, are perfect for the part.

Rachel McAdams will be Clare... Perfect.

Eric Bana will play Henry - Which I really really like. What a versatile actor, huh? Last role he played was... the Star Trek villain? Nice.

Even the little girl Clare is perfectly cast.

From the trailer, it seems to me that they are taking it down a different road than the book does. Major character changes have been made, especially in Clare. I guess they have to change things up a bit to keep things interesting - especially on the big screen. Well, the movie comes out in August and I cannot wait! If you read the book and want to go see the movie with me, let me know!